Nothing to Mone about for Ultimo bra queen

Uplifting news from bra queen Michelle Mone.

Lingerie sales seem to be pretty resilient despite the downturn, according to figures from the Scots entrepreneur's company, MJM International.

Mone has always kept sales figures close to her chest but the growing size of MJM means she has just published full accounts for the first time.

The Ultimo bra cup runneth over, it seems. Sales were up 14pc in the year to last April, while pre-tax profits rose by an impressive 66pc to £919,000.

The profit bonanza has even allowed Mone to pay herself back some of the loot she's ploughed into Ultimo. MJM directors - for which read Mone and her hubby - paid themselves a £212,000 dividend in January this year.

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And it's not just bra queens who are enjoying themselves. Lord Lloyd Weber seems to be raking it in over in theatre land too.

The theatrical knight received £9m in royalties last year – a 9pc pay rise – according to the accounts of his theatre company, Really Useful Group.

The year to June was clearly more Aspects of Love than Phantom of the Opera. Really Useful's shows raked in £23.3m of revenues, up from £20m a year earlier.

The canny entrepreneur also made £1.74m from merchandising. That's an awful lot of Evita T-shirts.

Focusing on life's important issues

Given Steve Morgan's plans for Redrow, the boardroom banter seems remarkably affable. The Wolverhampton Wanderers owner, who founded the housebuilder and now has his hands on 29.9pc of the shares, is proposing to oust current chief executive Neil Fitzsimmons and appoint himself executive chairman.

Redrow's chairman Alan Bowkett is not letting that get in the way of the football, however.

"I'm a Norwich City supporter," he says. "And though we are flirting with relegation, I have reminded Steve that we have scored eight goals against Wolves this season."